


Welcome to the Jungle

by Geheran



Series: Tenno in Zootopia [1]
Category: Warframe, Zootopia (2016)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-09
Updated: 2016-11-22
Packaged: 2018-08-30 02:21:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8514985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Geheran/pseuds/Geheran
Summary: Far from home, a lone Tenno must adapt to life without a somatic pod and all the shiny toys.





	1. First Encounter

**Author's Note:**

> First Fic, enjoy, and all that.  
> Minor liberties taken with canon.

A bloody, coughing mess limped his way over a grass covered hill.

He had seen lights in the distance, lights meant people, people meant… What, exactly? The planet was similar to home, but there was no way this was Earth. It lacked a certain, overgrown charm.

Pausing as he reached the crest, the poor man collapsed to his knees and stared out at the sparse grasslands. This time, the coughs came unhindered, forcing him to lean forward on his arms while expelling a thin spray of mucous and blood onto the grass.

As the fit subsided, he sat back on his heels, once again peering out at the lights in the distance. Fear and loneliness gnawed at the edge of his awareness, kept at bay by the knowledge that what had transpired to this moment had not been in vain.

And then it reached him. Or rather, it reached the night sky above him. A sudden blast of light, bright enough to literally turn night to day for several seconds, burned itself into his memory forever. The sounds of screeching tires and screams of fear echoed faintly from the town he’d been heading towards.

“Goodbye, Otis.” He sniffled, the smell of his own blood almost overpowering.

It took far more effort than he thought it should to push himself back to his feet. It took even more effort to command his legs to lift, one foot at a time, one step closer to civilization (as it were) on this planet.

The walk was interrupted by several more coughing fits, leaving the poor man weak and gasping for air before he reached the nearest building, a structure he recognized as a home. The lights were on, and he could hear the sound of people talking inside as he moved to the nearest door and knocked.

Or rather, raised his fist and dropped it weakly against the wood, hand sliding down with each hit of his sluggish arms. The door opened after the third hit, and time stopped for the man and the poor sand cat as their eyes met.

The cat screamed, and the poor man’s last conscious thought was how oddly pretty the voice was, and then blessed darkness as a bat swung from seemingly nowhere into his skull.

** **

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

The steady sound of an EKG was the first sound to register. The second was the gentle whoosh of ventilation, and the rumble of fans. The third sound to reach his brain was the muffled roars and grunts of what sounded like two animals having a throw down.

The world was blurry at first, the harsh lights above him almost painful when his eyes opened. A hospital? Memories surfaced, one eerily similar to this situation triggered an old fear and suddenly the world was in perfect focus. Leaping from the bed, the monitoring patches and wires ripped free, setting off a slew of alarms in the small space.

The brief moment in the air gave him a lot of information, most notably the fact that he was stark naked, and that the floor looked over-polished. This last fact was proven as his feet touched down, sending him into a semi-controlled skid into the far wall, colliding with a painful grunt even as he took in more of his surroundings.

The room was surprising large for one hospital bed and its monitoring equipment, parallel to a wall inset with a mirrored window and a heavy metal door, and an intercom was set midway along the bottom of the window. The room was otherwise empty, except the commode visible in the far back corner, a thin cloth screen suspended before it.

Vertigo set in as his taxed mind tried to make heads or tails of where he was. Pitching sideways, he slumped to the floor, gasping for air as the hyper-awareness faded and left him with a severe headache. Head forward, he pressed his hands to his eyes and let loose a frustrated cry of pain.

How long he sat there was up for debate. Seconds? Minutes? An hour? Eventually the sound of voices broke through his support, drawing his gaze to the intercom. The words seemed guttural, like the growls of a large predator, but patterned in an unusual manner.

Between his headache, the incessant beeping of the medical alarms, and the repeating drone of the unknown voice in the speaker, something within him snapped.

“QUIET!!” He bellowed, and an eerie, unnatural silence filled the room. The medical equipment’s lights still flashed their warnings, but there were no sounds to accompany them. He could feel the gentle movement of the air around him, but the rumble of the fans had subsided.

Slowly he managed to push himself to his feet, back pressed against the wall for support as he slid up it. A moment to let the room stop spinning, and he padded over and stopped at the foot of the bed, eyes moving to the window as the noise of the room slowly began to return. He simply pointed at the blaring monitors and waited.

The sight of a naked man glaring and pointing at something was apparently good motivation. Less than a minute later, the heavy door to the room popped open with the hiss of rushing air, and a bizarre group of creatures in hazardous material suits entered. Half were armed with large rifles, which they leveled at him with unwavering stances. The rest, medical staff he assumed, slowly moved closer to the bed to begin collecting the wires and cables, and finally ending the cacophony of alarms.

Through this, the man remained still, despite his fight/flight response going crazy. The restraint largely came because they were clearly terrified of him, or at least the medical staff. Their hands were visibly shaking as they moved around him, one of them pausing to remove a few patches that had remained on his chest and side when the wires had been ripped free.

Completing their task, the group quickly departed the room, the door sealing with a mirrored hiss from its opening, and the sound of the airlock decontamination cycle could be heard. The man took a few deep breaths, not entirely sure he was willing to remain trapped in the room. His musings were broken when the airlock’s standard cycle sounded again, the inner door opening to reveal two creatures, still in hazmat suits, carrying his washed and neatly folded clothes.

“Well, how about that.” He muttered. The duo before him froze, and he noted neither was armed. Raising his arms in a (hopefully) placating manner, he remained at his spot near the foot of the bed. “Easy now…”

His clothes were then rapidly deposited next to him on the bed, and the pair practically ran back to the airlock. Eyes narrowed in mild confusion, he shrugged and slipped into his clothes and felt much better, not being exposed in his entirety to whoever was on the other side of the mirror.

The attire was simple; a medium grey jumpsuit, black boots and gloves, with a dark blue overcoat that reached his knees. Walking up to the mirror, he studied his own reflection in more detail; pale skin, brown hair, and hazel eyes that were a sharp contrast to the faint blue glow hidden deep within them.

The lack of any physical wounds was to be expected for him, rapid healing was just one facet of his, ah, ‘gifts’ from the void. “It would be nice to keep a scar for once.” He mused, rubbing his hairless chin and turned to sit on the bed, legs idly swinging. The aforementioned blue glow intensified slightly as he stared at the window, and nearly toppled off the bed with what he sensed on the other side of the glass.

Outside the quiet room, the observers and other staff were milling about and talking very animatedly, even as they watched his clearly demonstrated boredom. He’d expected there to be people out there. What he hadn’t expected was _what_ those people were. Right outside the window was a bank of desks with computers on them, manned by what appeared to be various canid species and a cougar.

Behind the desks sat a large conference table, surrounded by chairs of various sizes. Two chairs were currently occupied. One by a uniform clad hyena that screamed ‘head honcho’, who was talking to the occupant of the other chair, a grey wolf wearing a long white coat.

Along the back and right wall hung numerous video screens, though their purpose was hard to guess as they were all off at the moment.

Looking to the speaker by the airlock door, his eyes narrowed and he slid to his feet, padding to the intercom and studying the buttons. The words were hardly legible to him, written in a script that was _almost_ similar to some of the languages of old Earth.

“Well, here goes nothing.” He muttered and pressed the big red button right below the speaker. “Hello?”

His extended senses gave him a picture of chaos the instant his voice echoed into the room beyond. The wolf’s mad dash to the outside intercom was amusing, and the flustered animal began to speak, the growled words familiar from before.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t understand a word you’re saying.” The man shook his head, tapping his right ear with a finger. “Is there any remote chance that you understand me at all?”

The wolf was clearly confused and a bit irritated, so it turned to the cougar at the nearest desk. The cougar shrugged, speaking something the intercom didn’t catch. This seemed to make the wolf even more irate, raising its arms out in front like it was yelling. The action also cut off the string of sounds. The cougar was clearly upset, teeth flashing with the reply.

The man perked as an idea struck him, and he pressed the intercom button, “Helloooo.”

All eyes were on him, and he pointed at the outside intercom, raising his right arm and opening and closing his hand like one would a sock puppet. The wolf hit the button and started speaking, but stopped when the man inside stepped back.

This time it was his turn to be irate, and he thumped the glass. “No you idiot, keep talking.” He then brought both hands up and with the puppeteer open/close gesture, made it look like his hands were talking to each other. Then he pointed at the cougar and wolf.

This garnered him a set of very confused looks from every animal present, and when no one spoke, he dropped his head forward into the glass with a thump, his defeated sigh inaudible to the outside room.

Closing his eyes, he missed the cougar pushing from its chair and standing at the intercom. That is, until it spoke. And the wolf spoke back. The two voices were a stark contrast to each other. The wolf was gruff and growly, whereas the cougar’s was smooth and graceful.

Turning his attention to the intercom, he began to meditate, pulling on the void to focus and clarify the sounds he was hearing. Language, no matter the origin, has a pattern; consonants and vowels, nouns and verbs, a (usually) consistent sentence structure, and an order of emphasis.

The conversation went on for over an hour, when finally, “…don’t need vending machines down here! This is a top secret facility, we can’t have people in and out all day to keep them stocked for all the diets present.”

“How else are we going to keep ourselves fed and sane on long shifts? We’re allowed food down here, just not when we have an active quarantine.” There was an odd inflection in the wolf’s voice at the end.

“It’s called a lunch box! You make a meal at home, and you scan it through security, and then you eat it when you’re hungry.” The cougar countered.

The bickering went back and forth like this for another few minutes, until the man couldn’t take it anymore and smashed the talk button on his side. “Alright, alright, will you two stop arguing about the vending machines?”

Dead silence followed. Slowly, the two animals who had been arguing turned to stare into the room at the man inside. Wide eyed, terrified, ears laid back, and jaws hanging open, the two animals couldn’t believe what they had just heard.

He would have laughed, had he not been focusing on their words. “Uh… You two still there? Hello?”

The cougar recovered first, “Uh, yes, we’re still here. You just caught us by surprise, is all.”

“Yeah, I tend to do that. All your talk about food is making me realize I haven’t eaten since, uh, I can’t remember when I ate last.”

“Right. Um… What can you eat?” The wolf spoke this time.

“I can eat almost anything. It’s not about what the food is made of, as much as how much energy I can get out of it. I could probably get enough energy from a pack of batteries.”

“How… I mean… Food, right, we’ll get on that.” The cougar and wolf both turned to look at the hyena, who was currently trying not to choke on its coffee after laughing at the pair’s dumfounded expressions. The outside talk button had been released, the short exchange lost through the window.

The sudden silence was a bit disturbing, and the man’s arms raised and dropped to smack on his legs in irritation. “Great talk, guys. Win big out there.” He muttered to himself.

** **

Food came in the form of a stack of granola and protein bars passed through the airlock, and it was eaten in a rather disturbing fashion to the animals observing. Instead of tearing apart the wrappers and chewing, like most would expect, the man simply placed his hand on the box and absorbed the useable energy straight into his arm.

The result was a pile of ash and indigestible materials. As it was removed from the room, the wolf’s voice came over the intercom. “Goodness, did you even taste anything?”

“No, but I was really hungry, so I just wolfed it down.” The thump of the wolf’s head against the glass made him laugh, “I thought you’d get a kick out of that.”

“No, but if you had said that out here, _you_ would have gotten a kick out of it.”

“Well, thank goodness for six inches of solid glass and steel. I’m quaking in my boots here.”

The wolf rolled its eyes, “Since we’re on talking terms, the commander wants to have a formal briefing and introduction tomorrow morning.”

“What time is it now?”

“Eleven at night.”

“That’s, uh, helpful? I think? I need a reference for your time scale.”

“You’ve been up for a little over two hours now. It’ll be around another nine hours before everyone will be here and ready.”

Thinking on the times described, the man looked at the ceiling in thought. “So, alright, your time is about the same as back home. Shouldn’t be too hard to adapt to.”

Extending his senses again, the man peered into the room to find the wolf and cougar were the only two present. “How long was I unconscious?”

The two animals shared a brief glance, and then the cougar walked over. “You were brought in about midway through our shift this morning, so about sixteen hours, give or take a bit?”

“The last thing I remember is a terrified cat, and hurting all over.”

“Ah, yes. That cat’s mate hit you over the head with a bat. It looked pretty brutal until we realized you were slowly healing yourself.”

“A blow to the head, on top of the hell I’ve been through the last few days? Sixteen hours sounds a bit short, to be honest.” The man rubbed his chin, brow furrowed as he tried to figure out the foggy memories up until that cat. “I remember seeing the explosion from my ship, walking a long distance in tall grass. Ah hell, you didn’t happen to find a body out in that field did you?”

“A body? Uh, one moment.” The com went dead, and through the window the cougar and wolf could be seen getting into a surprisingly heated argument. At one point, they both gestured towards something to the left of the window.

Having released the intercom button, his eyes narrowed as he focused in that direction. Attempting to peer further through the walls and window proved to be more difficult than anticipated, and he had to stop before he could see the other quarantine room.

“I’m going to meditate until this meeting in the morning.” The man turned away from the window before they could see his bloody nose or the grimace from the headache his attempted snooping had caused.

The response was rather quick, “If you say so. Cath and I will be here all night, howl if you need anything.”

The man didn’t respond, and to the amazement of the two animals, took a cross-legged position about a foot above the ground and stayed there until morning.


	2. Introductions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter chapter, apologies.

As it turns out, meditating for nearly nine hours isn’t as helpful as one might imagine. Instead of calming introspection, it turned into a serious internal struggle against the stark loneliness. No idle radio chatter, no Otis, no Lotus… Not that he’d be able to hear any of them anyways, given his complete lack of equipment.

_Breathe in. Hold. Breathe out. Focus. Breathe in…_

“It’s time.” The gruff voice breaking the silence was almost a blessing, giving the man something to focus on besides the soul-crushing void.

The hovering came to an end, legs unfolding to take his weight as he stood to his full, five-eleven height. Stretching produced a cacophony of pops as he twisted and leaned, glad the observers couldn’t hear the ‘old man’ pains.

“Next time, lay on the bed dummy.” He muttered to himself before heading to the window, once again spreading his senses to see through the mirrored surface. Thumb on the talk button, he sighed into the mic, “Alright…”

The observation area was packed with animals, some he recognized as military personnel, some in lab coats, and others were dressed in black suits. And a small number were dressed in hazmat suits, standing near the airlock’s outer door. Pointing to this last group, he hit the button, “What exactly are they here for?”

The wolf moved to the other side of the window and queued his side, “They are only here to collect samples, assuming you are willing to part with a small amount of blood, skin, and hair.”

“And if I’m not willing?” His right brow perked a little.

“Then they will be sent away.”

“I see.” He let it sit for a few seconds, noting the way the lab coats seemed to deflate. He fought a chuckle, “It just so happens that I’m willing to let you have your samples.”

The entire outside room perked up at that.

“Just this once.” He added, holding up a finger.

The airlock cycling drew his attention from the amassed animals, so he missed the second slump of shoulders. Even before the inner door hissed open, the man had removed his coat and rolled up his sleeves, sitting on the bed and doing his best to look bored.

The medical staff was quick in gathering their samples, the minor pinch of a needle handled with a barely audible grunt. Then back out the airlock, and once the decontamination cycle was complete, the entire group disappeared from the observation area.

“Now that that’s out of the way, let’s get to down to business.” A new voice drew his attention to the window, where the hyena from the night before stood. “As our guest of honor, why don’t you start the introductions?”

“Figures,” He mutters to himself. Taking a deep breath, he ran his hands over his face, and then gestured to the intercom, triggering it from the bed. Watching every animal’s eyes nearly pop out of their faces made it extremely difficult to begin.

“My name is Robert Mitchell; I am Tenno from the Origin system.” Mixing his language with theirs was interesting, and the confusion was apparent as heads tilted sideways.

“Pleased to meet you,” The hyena nodded, “I am Commander Basil Jako, head of the research division here. You’ve met Doctor Aiyana, and Mister Snowclaw.” The wolf and cougar from the night before waved in turn. “I must say, this is going much smoother than I had anticipated.”

“I come from a caste of warriors, adapting to stressful situations is a must. I may not look it, but I’m honestly a little terrified right now.” Rob shrugged, hands idle in his lap despite the intercom still working. “So… How long will I be stuck in here?”

Aiyana spoke up, “We don’t know, that’s part of why we needed samples. Any potential diseases need to be identified before we let you loose on the world.”

“What about that cat I saw?”

“She and her mate are being kept under observation in our medical facility, as are the first responders to the call.” The wolf tilted its head, scratching at an ear in thought. “The initial samples we took while you were unconscious have shown no transmittable pathogens, but it’s too soon to tell for those exposed to you.”

The hyena cut in, “We discussed it when we first brought you in, and decided that a month or two should be long enough to determine if you are a health hazard to us, and vice versa.”

“A month or two? Could you at least think about getting me a bigger space? My transference room was larger than this.” Another human word, and again heads tilted in confusion. “Okay, you all have to stop that… That head tilt in unison is disturbing.”

It took a moment, but the gathering began to chuckle at the statement. “I’ll see what I can do, but I doubt we’ll be able to move you anytime soon. I’m sorry.”

“Ah, don’t worry about it.” He wave his hand dismissively, “Though, to stave off the boredom, would it be possible to get some linguistic training? Maybe a lesson in your culture? Cultures?” He eyed the swath of species outside the window. “I mean, I’m kind of stuck here now.”

“You seem to have a decent grasp on our language already.”

“There is a difference between knowing a language, and understanding a language. I _know_ enough of your language to have a straightforward conversation like this one. But I _don’t_ know the right inflections for what would be considered humor, or sarcasm, or anything along those lines.”

“Fair point, I suppose.” The hyena studied him a moment, “I think we can start as soon as this little gathering is over. We’re… curious, about how you came to be on our planet, and just why it coincided with the explosion out in the asteroid belt. Not to mention you seemed to pick up our language quickly, and can see through the window. And there is the issue of the body we found a few miles from the sand cat’s house.”

“How… Do you want the short version, or the overly long and technical version?”

“The easiest version you can give.”

“Alright.” Rob leaned forward, hands on knees to support him. “I took part in an operation to remove a major threat to my home system. After luring an enemy and some of his cohorts into the intended area, we fired off what we call a void catapult. I, uh, didn’t clear the area in time and was brought with them.”

“Brought- You brought them here?” The hackles rose on every observer’s neck.

Sitting up straight, he waved his hands before him, “No! I didn’t bring them here. Just let me finish!”

A moment of silence, then, “Go on.”

“The problem with the void catapult is that it’s an early and archaic example of our faster-than-light technology. The moment it fired, three of the enemies’ ships exploded instantly. One didn’t go far, and the last ship and I were flung out into deep space. I would estimate this was a few months ago, relatively speaking? Time in the void is… bizarre. For all I know, it could have been a decade by now.”

He paused to collect his thoughts, the hours leading up to waking in the room were still a little fuzzy. “My ship was kicked from the void outside your moon’s orbit. The energy surge that accompanied this transition was more than my ship could handle, and, well, you saw the aftermath of that.”

“How did you get on our planet, then? What about the last ship?”

“My ship’s Cephalon got cheeky, and sent me planet side before I could protest. I… Uh…” A long, ragged breath echoed through the observation area, “The last ship was still in transit, and is far beyond a threat to your planet at this point. If my ship couldn’t handle the transition, they won’t make it when their bubble pops.”

Clearing his throat, he rubbed the back of his neck, his voice cracking slightly, “I need some water.” As he stood and turned towards the commode’s privacy screen, he let the intercom silence on his end, thankful they couldn’t hear him or see his face as memories surged to the forefront.

_“Operator, the catapult bubble is collapsing; void containment can’t handle the feedback.”_

_A flash of light, and suddenly he was surrounded by ankle high grass, the violent, forced exit from transference ripping at his void twisted organs. Blood trickled from his lips as he coughed, trying to clear his lungs enough to speak._

_“Otis, no!”_

_“It’s been an honor to serve you, Opera-”_

_The silence was crushing._

_His vision swam as he pushed to his feet, heading for the dim and distant lights._

_A flash, night to day._

_“Goodbye, Otis.”_

The privacy screen hid a small sink inset into the wall, a relief as he splashed his face with cold water and fought to maintain control.

“Robert?” His name was a half-bark, the wolf this time.

“Just, give me a moment.” He called back, forgetting the intercom. It took a few minutes before he could muster the strength to return to the window. His motions were slow and methodical as he returned to the bed, and with another gesture, opened the mic. “Sorry about that.”

“Don’t worry about it. If you don’t feel like continuing, we can put the interview on hold.”

The hyena nodded as the wolf spoke, adding, “We’re not in a hurry, here. If you-”

“I’ll be fine.” Rob interrupted, shaking his head. “It’s just… I’ve spent so much time doing, and acting, and protecting my own… And now it’s all gone.” He held his hands up in a surrendering gesture. “Let’s just continue from where we left off?”

“Very well…” The Hyena cleared its throat, “Well, what about the learning and seeing through walls?”

“Oh, that’s easy. I’m not looking through the wall; I’m just looking through the layer of silver.” He stood and tapped the glass. “And as for the language, it’s just a matter of pattern recognition.” This time, he tapped his right temple, “And when you can manipulate sounds like me, and my fellow Tenno, pattern recognition is piecemeal.”

“I see. Well, what about the other body we found? Your blood trail led us to it.”

“Body? Oh, right… That would be how I got off of the ship. It’s a bit convoluted to explain, but my ship’s Cephalon dropped him, and used my transference to force me out of the ship. Uh… When it’s safe for me to leave quarantine, I can explain more, but I’ll need direct access to him.”

“Alright. Well, that’ll be at least another month away, maybe two.” The commander clapped their hands and rubbed them together, “How about we call this meeting, get some lunch, and I’ll see about finding a cultural and language instructor.”

“I… That sounds fine to me.” He stretched and sighed, letting the intercom go silent. It was going to be a long month.


	3. New digs.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new room, a new record, and a confession.

As promised, his time in the quarantine room ended when the slew of lab reports came back negative on any new illnesses he might be able to spread. Roughly six weeks after he awoke, Rob was led to his new quarters in the officers’ barracks and issued some ‘local’ clothes tailored to his unique form.

Standing in the door, he studied the narrow room he’d been given; the door opened against the left wall, almost striking a short, wall mounted shelf that was currently bare. Straight ahead was a simple desk and to the right, a narrow cot running along the wall. Immediately to the right of the door were his lockers, two on top of a matching metal dresser.

“The walls are well insulated to keep down the noise, but the door is as basic as they come.” The aide, a young deer whose antlers were just starting to come in, stated matter-of-factly from the hallway. “Showers and bathroom are down the hall, men’s on the left. Clean sheets are readily available at all times in the lobby, and the dirty laundry bins are in the bathroom.”

Rob leaned back to look each way down the hall as the aide gestured, then stepped into the room. Due to his height, he was just barely in the ‘medium’ range of mammals on the base, and the room was clearly meant for the most common denominator. The bed would be comfortable if he lay on his side with his legs bent.

“A private phone line can be arranged, but if they’ve issued you a mobile phone, I don’t see why you’d need one.” The buck continued, holding out a set of modified BDUs. “The rest of your clothing will be ready around sixteen hundred at the Exchange.”

“Thank you. I’ll have to look into one of those computers the Commander mentioned, they sell those at the exchange?” Rob took the clothing and set them on the cot with little care if they stayed folded. “I’ve heard this ‘internet’ of yours is good for curing boredom.” Part of the cultural indoctrination had covered it, something about cat pictures echoed in the back of his mind.

“Aye, Sir. The Exchange doesn’t have the best selection, but I’m sure you can find something to suit your needs. Every room is fitted with an Ethernet port under the desk, next to the power socket.” A hooved arm pointed under the desk, chuckling, “I bet this is all terribly droll compared to what you had back home.”

“Simpler, sure, but I wouldn’t call it droll.” Digging out his phone, he checked the time with a frown, “I hate to cut this short, but I need to change and head to the training building. Commander Jako wants to see how I fare in the live fire course.”

“Very well, Sir.” The buck nodded politely and departed.

“Now, let’s see what we have here.” Rob closed his door and swapped to the green camouflage outfit, muttering under his breath, “If only they could see me now.” Or not, as it were.

** **

The training building was a converted hangar, containing a variety of plywood obstacle courses. The one Rob arrived at was arranged like an urban street; a narrow road leading to a small intersection, each side of the road housed with single-story fakes and beyond the intersection, a brick-red two story façade ended the path.

“Alright, here’s the plan. Move down the street, clearing the windows without harming any civilians. The targets will be random, so stay alert.” The booming voice of an elephant echoed as he addressed the gathering. There were a few ZBI agents accompanying Rob, either getting in some practice or looking to show off. “While there is no time limit, we are looking for fast clears. The clock up there-”he pointed above and to the left of the start, “starts on my mark, and ends when the last hostile is cleared. Any questions?”

There was a general murmur of ‘no’, leading the instructor to smirk, “Very well, Agent Mitis, why don’t you start us off?” The pachyderm gestured to the first mammal in line, a young ocelot.

“Yes, Sir!” The ocelot stepped forward, and was issued a small caliber pistol and a spare clip, the latter slipped onto the cat’s belt. Now armed, he stepped forward and took a ready stance at the start line. “Range is hot!” he bellowed, waiting for the call.

“On my mark!”

“Get set!”

 _Fweeeeeeeeeet!_ The instructor blew his whistle, and the clock began.

00:05.61

Mitis reached the first corner, and three hostile target boards sprung up to the right.

Pop, pop, pop.

Scanning the area for more, he continued forward, stopping behind a car at the intersection. Again, three hostile targets popped out, two in the building to the left, one dead ahead, and a civilian target (marked with a red X) popped up to the right.

Pop, pop. Pop.

As he crossed the intersection, two more targets, one hostile, one civilian, both in the same window.

Pop.

The hostile board falls, and the agent continues to the last area. Leading to the ‘brick’ wall, each side of the street has two buildings, each with two windows. As he passes, two hostile targets appear in the last building on the right, one in the first building on the left. A hostile and civilian target both appear in the last window in the second building on the left.

Pop, pop, pop. Pop.

An alarm sounds, harsh and accompanied by flashing red lights to signal the end of the run. The ocelot had missed the last hostile target, putting a round through the civilian target.

The clock read: 00:41.67

“Mitis! What did I tell you about rushing your shots?” Everyone but Robert jumped as Commander Jako shouted from the observation level above them. “Clear the range and get to the back of the line!”

Agent Mitis flipped the safety on, dropped the magazine, and cleared the chamber. Returning to the start line, he slips the last round into the mostly empty magazine and the pistol and mags were returned to the table. A new pistol was placed for the next run.

The group continued, one by one, until at last it was the human’s turn. “Just like practice back home, you got this.” He murmured to himself, slipping the spare magazine to his belt. Taking a ready stance, he loaded the first magazine and chambered a round. Thumbing the safety, he shouted, “Range hot!”

“On my mark!”

“Get Set!”

_FWEEEEEEET!!_

00:00.01

Time froze, and the distance between Rob and the first corner of cover shrank until he could take one step, pressing himself against the plywood and peeking around the corner as time returned to normal.

Four targets, three hostile and a civilian, popped up to the right. Time slowed, he lined up his shots carefully and fired. Pop, pop, pop. To the observers, all three rounds coalesced into one loud _BANG_ and the hostile boards rocked backwards at the same time.

00:05.82

The distance to the next cover, the car on the near side of the intersection, shrunk until he could take another single step, again pressing against the cover.

Seven targets popped up, four hostiles and three civilians. Two hostiles and one civilian were to the left, one hostile and one civilian straight ahead, one hostile and one civilian to the right. Time slowed, and again his shots combined into a single sound as the hostile boards fell ‘dead’.

Sprinting across the intersection, three hostiles popped up again, one in the left windows, and one in each of the windows he was running towards.

 _BANG!_ And the targets went down.

00:12.94

Continuing down the street towards the last set of windows, he was ‘jumped’ by six hostile targets, one in each window to the right, and two in the windows of the first building on the left. Taking cover behind a car on the right side of the street, he focused and sent out the last five rounds in the first magazine.

 _Slide locked, mag release._ The empty magazine fell free and was replaced by the new one in a motion so fast the observers didn’t even catch it. The first round was chambered and sent into the last hostile target.

00:14.52

Stepping out, he closed the gap to the last car on the street. This time, the targets didn’t all come out at once. The first two targets, one hostile, one civilian, appeared in the upper middle window of the ‘brick’ wall. Pop, and down the hostile target went. The civilian target was replaced by a hostile target, and two more hostile targets sprung from the bottom row of windows, one left, one right. Pop, pop, pop.

As they fell, four hostiles took their place; one in the top left window, one in the bottom middle, and two in the building to the right of the street, right next to him. These last two targets are shot first, almost the instant they pop up. The two in the windows follow immediately, the shots sounding like they came from an automatic pistol.

00:18.75

As the last board registers its hit, the clock stops and the hangar falls into a deafening silence as Rob stands straight and sets the safety on the pistol. As the others before him, he releases the magazine and clears the chamber, collecting the spent magazine along the way back to the start.

Setting them on the table, he is then aware of the looks being sent in his direction. Fear and awe filled the wide-eyed stares, and he thought he saw a hint of desire in one of the agent’s gaze. “What?”

No response.

“Hellooooo?” He stepped forward and, stretching onto his toes, waved a hand in front of the instructor’s eyes. “You alright there, big guy? Oh no, there he goes…” And the elephant keeled over backwards, landing with enough force to shake the building.

“Medic!”

The sudden impact broke the rest out of their stupor, and there was a flurry of activity to help the unconscious mammal.

“Alright, the range is closed for the day! Dismissed!” Jako hollered from above, and the animals dispersed, most following their downed friend. “Mitchell, a word please.”

 _Uh oh._ “Yes, Ma’am?” He sighed, and once the two of them were alone, he tried to look as non-threatening as possible.

“You said you were a warrior…” The hyena stood on the last stair down from the observation level, arms crossed and a scowl on her face. “Your nose is bleeding.”

“Oh, shit.” He clasped a hand to his nose, feeling the sticky warmth as he pinched to stem the flow. His voice was a bit nasally, “What’s up?”

Jako snorted, “Nothing, I’m just curious as to whether or not you’ve considered what you’d like to do once we let you out into the world.” She gestured to the plywood behind him. “You’re the first mammal to finish that in less than thirty seconds.”

“I haven’t, and I could have gone faster.” He smirked as best he could while holding his nose, keeping his tone light hearted. “But I didn’t want to break your system by moving too fast for your ancient computer systems.”

“Oh, it must be so terrible! Having to adapt to such slow and archaic technology, you poor thing.” Her head tilted back and forth as she mocked him, though the twinkle in her eyes told him it was all in jest.

“Yes, so terrible. Seriously, it’s the worst ever. I think I’ll die of boredom before the end of the week.” He scoffed in feigned insult, waving dismissively at the hyena, “Be gone, peasant. You are not worthy to behold my presence.”

Her eyes narrowed as she shook her head, “I’m amazed our planet hasn’t warped itself around the mass of your ego by now. We must truly be blessed by the Gods.”

Rolling his eyes, Rob turned and made for the exit, calling over his shoulder at the door, “Just remember this when your fur dryer doesn’t work tomorrow!” And once clear of the threshold, he broke into a run, cackling at the indignant scream from behind him.

“MITCHELL, I’LL GUT YOU LIKE A FISH!!”

** **

1600 rolled around, and after collecting his ‘standard’ clothes and buying the most expensive laptop the Exchange had, Rob settled into his new living quarters. Arranging his storage was easy, as was setting up the laptop, though he had little desire to see what he could find on this fabled ‘internet’. Instead, he sat on his cot, leaning against his pillows and lightly tapping his chin to the ideas floating around in his head.

A knock interrupted his musings.

“Open.”

It was his language instructor, a cougar named Cathy, “How are you? Better now that you can run around all you want?”

“Oh yes, this is much better than that cold room downstairs.” He shuddered, “Especially after almost two months.”

“I heard you caused an injury at the live fire course, something about scaring the instructor?”

“Hah! Yeah, they were so awed by my performance, I think I broke them.” He made a tipping gesture, “The instructor fainted, though he only hurt his pride. Come on in and have a seat.”

“Ouch… Well, no harm, no foul, right?” Stepping in, she closed the door and sat in the office chair. A few minutes pass quietly, then, “Would you kindly explain why the Commander has been cursing your name all afternoon?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He kept his face passive. “I haven’t done anything to upset her.” _That I know of._

“Alright.” Her tone made it clear she didn’t believe him, “Aside from checking your living arrangements, I stopped by to see when you’d like to continue your lessons. It’s been a couple days now, with all the preparations to release you.”

“Um…” He glanced at his phone on the desk. “Well, it’s only Wednesday. Perhaps tomorrow afternoon, around fifteen hundred? The ZBI want to run me through some more of the training courses, so it’ll be mostly that tomorrow morning and right after lunch.”

“Sounds good to me.” Again they sit in silence, Rob lost in thought as the feline studied him. When he noticed, she blinked and looked away.

“Yes?” He drew out the word, peering at her with a brow arched.

“Sorry, just, didn’t realize I was staring.” She gave him a sheepish smile, showing hints of teeth. “I’m still getting used to the whole, ‘teaching an advanced lifeform about my planet’ thing.”

“I wouldn’t call me an advanced life form, given the only real difference is the level of technology. It would be like the Pawmish calling someone from Zootopia an advanced life form.” He smirked, shaking his head in amusement at the thought. “I mean, aside from the void’s influence on my body, I’m not much different than that chimp down in the galley.”

“True, true.” She noted the time and pushed to her paws. “I need to get back and prepare your next lesson, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Take care, Cathy.”

As the door closed, he tried to resume his earlier train of thought when another knock sounded. _Ugh, what now?_ “It’s open.” It was Jako, looking upset, which worried him.

“I didn’t do it.” Rob deadpanned, “It was the one-armed mammal.”

“That’s- Wait, what?”

 _Well, that was easy._ “I’m teasing you, Commander. What can I do for you?”

“Right. Can I talk to you for a minute?”

“Of course.” He sat up and turned, feet resting on the floor as he gestured to the chair. “Have a seat.”

She smiled, and the brief hesitation before she entered the room and closed the door did little to alleviate his concerns. Something was amiss, and he was suddenly trying to figure it out as she sat down on the foot of the cot instead of the chair. They sat like that, her pensive, him uneasy, for what felt like an hour. Opening his mouth to speak, she beat him to it.

“You’re terrifying.” _Oh._

“I’m… Sorry?” He leaned forward to study her face. “Is this you speaking, or have others brought this to your attention.”

“Both. But, mostly people who have seen what you did at the training range this morning. When you first arrived, it was thrilling, our first sign of extra-terrestrial life. But then… You told us how you got here, and over the last few weeks of listening to you talk to Mr. Snowclaw… it’s become very clear that you are far beyond our capabilities to contain.”

He swore he saw her shiver, the barest trembles in her shoulders and ears. “Most of my chain of command is pulling out their fur, worrying about what will happen when you get bored of being our…” She threw up her hands, “Hell, I don’t even know what to call you in that regard.”

“Well, you could start with guest, or friend. ‘Unexpected fellow inhabitant of the planet’ just doesn’t quite roll off the tongue, you know?”

She glared at him, though it quickly gave way to an annoyed frown and a slow shake of her head. “The fact that you’re not part of my command doesn’t sit well with me. You are outside the bounds of my authority in every way I can imagine, even the laws of physics it seems.”

“I am my own little hole in the universe, I can’t argue with that.” He reached out to gently place a hand on her shoulder, and he almost missed the flinch, “But I promise you, I have no desire to cause you any trouble. I wound up here because I made a mistake, and I have to live with the consequences. I’m sorry I scare you, but I don’t mean to.”

She looked at the wall in front of her, and he let go of her shoulder, hands on his knees. This time, the silence wasn’t as uncomfortable.

“Thank you.” Her voice was closer to her normal tone, and he could see the hints of a smile.

“You’re welcome.”

Jako slowly stood and looked down at him, a twinkle in her eye. “Does this mean my fur dryer will work properly?”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, your fur dryer is fine. You might want to get a new bottle of shampoo, though… Okay, I’m kidding, I’m kidding!” If looks could kill, he’d be a dead Tenno.

“Good! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to running this base.” She brushed off her pants and opened the door. “Oh, and I’m looking forward to what you can do in the obstacle courses tomorrow.”

“Bah, piece of cake. You natives and your silly running places.” He waved her off dismissively, smirking, “I’ll best all your courses without breaking a sweat, with an arm tied behind my back, blindfolded, and tied to a bear. Okay, maybe not the bear part.”

Shaking her head in amazement, she simply scoffed and left, closing the door behind her.

“Pretty puppy.” He mumbled, laying back in bed and trying to gather his thoughts now that he knew they feared him to such a degree. “Silly, pretty puppy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry, I'm not teasing you too much longer with the character tags.


	4. A Night Outing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 8 stories, 75 terrorists, One Tenno. No catch phrase.

And so the next four months would pass in a predictable fashion; training (showing off) in the morning, language and culture lessons in the afternoon, and talking with the base command staff most evenings. The air had grown cold and crisp, and morning frost lingered long into the day.

**5:25pm, Unknown Northern Panchaean Military Base**

Cathy lay on her stomach, head buried into his pillows, clad in khakis and a white undershirt. Her uniform shirt was hung on the chair. Rob knelt beside the bed, in what had become his favorite outfit; dark khakis with a black belt, a plain black t-shirt, and black boots.

She was weeping, cursing some cat’s name as he rubbed her back.

After several minutes, he poked her side, “So, does this mean the lesson is cancelled for the day?”

A choked laugh and she swatted him with her tail. This earned her a light pinch, drawing a yelp as she flinched. “Stop that. I’m supposed to be miserable.” She sniffled, turning to fix him with a pitiful glare.

“And I’m supposed to make you not miserable.” He stuck out his tongue, though kept up his gentle attentions to her back. “Am I succeeding at all?”

Her frame slumped into the bed, going ‘liquid-cat’ as she calmed down. “Yeah. Thanks for listening.”

“Any time.”

Cathy rolled over and sat up, swinging her legs off the bed and setting them to either side of Rob. Resting her paws on his shoulders, she peered down with a fond smile as he rested his arms around her waist. “I suppose I should go clean up, we do have a lesson to get through.”

“Aww… Alright.” As he stood, he placed his hands on her shoulders, eyes locking with hers as the door to his room flew open.

“Robert, we-” It was the base XO, a white wolf named Gerald.

Both man and cat stared at him a moment, before realizing the odd position they were in.

Rob stepped back, and the pair looked like guilty lovers as he rubbed his neck. “Ah, Lieutenant, what’s going on?”

Shaking off his shock, the wolf cleared his throat, “We have a situation, and I’ve been told your… unique skills… may be necessary. We’re in a hurry, you’ll get a briefing while enroute.” With that, the wolf turned and marched for the lobby.

“Ah, sorry, Cath.” He gave her a sheepish grin, “Guess that lesson really is cancelled.”

“Just go, you silly ape.” She snickered, slipping her uniform shirt back on. “I’ll be here when you get back.”

“Right.” And Rob hurried after the wolf.

** **

The osprey was already warmed up and ready to go by the time Rob and Gerald reached the helipad. Ducking against the prop-wash, they met with a snow leopard dressed in a black suit and tie.

“Rob, this is Agent Whitepaw, ZBI. He’ll be your point of contact while in the city, and you’ll need this.” Shouting, the wolf passed over a short-range radio, with an earpiece/microphone on a cord. “This’ll let you talk to the pilot and Agent Whitepaw.”

Slipping the radio on his belt, he ran the cord up under his shirt and fitted the earpiece. Hitting the call button on the radio, he looked to the leopard, “Radio check?”

_“Radio check sat.”_ The pilot replied.

“Right, in you go then.” The leopard bellowed over the rotor noise, turning to walk up the rear ramp.

“Mister Mitchell, stay safe.” Gerald held out a paw, which Rob shook. “Good luck.”

As the wolf retreated from the helipad, Rob followed after Whitepaw. The moment he was inside, the rear door lifted and blocked out most of the vehicle’s noise.

_“Tower, this is Osprey Alpha-Zero-Four-Two-Echo. Asset is on board, requesting clearance for liftoff.”_

_“Roger, Zero-Four-Two, you are cleared for full power departure. God speed.”_

“I don’t like being called an asset.”

Gravity seemed to double as the Osprey’s engines spooled up to full power, lurching into the air and swinging around. As the vehicle settled and picked up speed, the ZBI agent spoke up.

“I’m sorry, I know it’s a bit impersonal, but we’re in a hurry.”

“What’s the situation?”

“About twenty minutes ago, a group of heavily armed mammals stormed Zootopia Town Hall and have bunkered down. The ZPD can’t get into the building with the firepower at this group’s disposal. So far, a dozen officers have been injured from pot shots against their perimeter. ”

“Have they made any demands?”

“Yes, they have demanded the release of a number of high security prisoners, and have given us a deadline of 2200 hours. At that point, they will start executing prisoners, starting with the ZPD officers caught in the initial attack.”

“So I’m to go in and thin the herd a little?”

“Yes, fitting choice of words there… Lethal force is authorized, though if you could leave some of them alive for questioning, it would be greatly preferred. Especially if you can identify their leader.”

Rob thumbed his radio, “Pilot, what’s our ETA?”

_“Three hours, fifty minutes.”_

“Talk about cutting it close.”

“That’s why we’re in such a hurry. We know you can clear the building without harming the hostages. Once you’re done, we’re to return to base to let you rest. The ZPD can handle the cleanup, and you’ll be introduced to them soon enough.”

“Tell me more about this building.”

“Not much to say, really. It’s an eight story office building; the south side is one big window. Mayor’s office is on the top floor with a few meeting rooms. The rest of the floors have support and legal offices, with a large lobby on the ground floor.”

“What’s my point of entry?”

“Does it matter?”

“Not really.” Rob hit his radio again, “Pilot, get me within a mile and line of sight on the mayor’s office. I’ll take it from there.”

_“Understood. Settle in for the ride, it’ll be a while.”_

Whitepaw leaned back as best he could in the stiff seat. “And I’d hoped to be home by now.”

Rob moved to the middle of the hold and sat cross-legged about a foot in the air, hands on knees, palms up, and eyes closed. “Wake me when we get there.”

** **

**9:28pm, Savana Central, Zootopia**

The touch was gentle, a poke to his shoulder that roused him from his meditation. The snow leopard flinched as Rob’s glowing eyes opened and locked with the cat’s pale blue. “We’re here.”

A nod and Rob stood to his full height, turning to watch the city pass by the window. “Thanks.” Stretching as best he could with one arm on a grab bar, he yawned quietly and hit the push-to-talk. “How far are we?”

_“We’re five miles out.”_ The pilot replied. The rear door began to lower, letting the rotor noise and a rush of air swirl through the hold.

“Keep the engine running, I’ll be just a minute.”

_“Stay safe. Making our turn now.”_

Taking a deep breath, he steadied himself against the tilting aircraft, a memory surfacing as the glass face of Town Hall came into sight.

_This is it, Tenno. You know what to do._

“It’s show time.” And with that, Robert was in the mayor’s office, kneeling behind a tall ram. Time slowed as he leaped forward and up, impacting the ram’s back with enough force to incapacitate the mammal and send him flying over the desk.

Rob followed through on the leap, sailing in a controlled arc over the desk, and over a trio of animals tied to chairs; a rabbit, a fox, and a ewe. As he passed over, he summoned three thin blades of energy that were then thrown down, cutting the ropes binding the hostages’ arms.

Landing into a roll, he pulled on two more darts of energy and sent them out, each striking a ram next to the office door and pinning them to the wall.

Rob was on his feet and out of the room before the first ram had impacted the floor.

Waiting for him in the hallway were four armed guards, three rams and a tall billy-goat. They had just begun to react to the noise inside the office, when a series of blue orbs flew out and impacted their chests. Stunned, the animals collapsed with the sound of clattering metal.

Taking a moment to collect himself Rob knelt and placed his hands on the floor. To the naked eye, the effect would have been nigh invisible, a single ripple of energy traveling out from the man’s hands, moving over the floor, walls, and ceiling.

_Seven down, top floor. Hostages on seventh floor, two rooms, ten guards each. Four guards in each elevator lobby to ground floor, twenty hostiles ground floor, main lobby area._

He melted through the floor, landing in a kneeling position in the next floor’s elevator lobby. As a moment ago, the four guards were down before they even realized he was there.

Directly behind him, a hallway led to the two rooms full of hostages. The first room was a door on the left, closed. The second was a door near the viewing window at the end of the hall. This door was open, and the nervous cries of the hostages could be heard.

Moving to the first door, Rob burst in, energy darts at the ready. The guards, and a number of hostages began to face in his direction, but they’d not get more than an after-image of someone in the door before the guards all stiffened and collapsed, a thin smoking hole through their necks.

The second door was a similar story, and with the speed he moved, the cries of shock and fear from the first room were barely starting as the guards in the second room twitched and fell.

Back at the elevators, he dropped down again, releasing a group of bolts into the unsuspecting guards. And then the next floor and the next floor, and so on ‘til he reached the ground floor, landing in a super-hero pose.

Dashing to the main lobby, he pulled on the void, summoning a storm of energy that flashed blue in the air. Each mammal in the lobby reacted as if they had just stuck their hand in a light fixture, convulsing and writhing, until they collapsed unconscious. If he had remained in the room, Rob might have noticed the smell of singed wool.

**9:30pm**

And then, just like that, Rob was back in the Osprey. Stumbling away from the rear door, he tripped over his own feet and was caught by Whitepaw. “Building’s clear.” He rasped, coughing as his exertion caught up with his void twisted body.

Raising a paw to his ear, the cat spoke calmly, “ZPD, this is Agent Whitepaw, building is clear. ZBI asset has confirmed hostages safe.” Then to just the pilot, “Get us back home.”

_“Roger, heading home.”_ The pilot stated as the rear door finally closed, returning the cabin to a (relatively) quiet hum.

Rob’s lungs burned, and it hurt when he gasped for air between wet coughs. Hunched over a bucket to avoid a mess, he cursed his… well, cursed, organs as they tore and repaired themselves trying to recover from his sudden activity. _Now I remember why I had a pod._

A paw gently patted his back, “Well, it’s out of our hands now. Hang in there, buddy.”

** **

The flight back was surprisingly calm without the pilot pushing the aircraft’s limits, with a short mid-air refueling the only detour. As the aircraft settled on the helipad, Rob and Whitepaw stood at the rear door, man leaning on cat as they waited to disembark. While his lungs no longer bled or ached, the rest of his body felt as if he had just gone twelve rounds in a cement mixer.

“Thanks, Mike.” He muttered as the ramp lowered, and he was guided slowly down and towards the barracks. Once inside, the pair paused outside his door, where Rob took off his radio and handed it to the leopard.

“You rest easy, now. We can’t have you saving the world, only to die of exhaustion.”

“Right, say high to the missus for me.”

“I’ll pass that along.” And the feline smiled and retreated down the hall.

Rob peered at the door to his room, not remembering closing it. Fishing out his key, he opened the door to find an unexpected, though not unwelcomed guest. Curled up in a ball on the foot of his bed, lay the familiar form of Cathy in her undershirt and boxers. Her notebook and laptop sat closed on his desk.

“Oh, you silly, adorable, pain in the ass, cat.” He muttered. _We’ll talk in the morning, too tired to care._

She didn’t stir. Nor did she wake as he slipping out of his boots and pants, and sitting in the middle of his bed in his skivvies and shirt.

Lightly trailing his hands down her back, he was rewarded with a low rumble from her chest and the reflexive curling of her fingers, but still she slept. A single, amused snort escaped him, and he carefully lay next to her, pressing his back to hers.

Between his fatigue, his cougar friend’s warmth, and the contented rumble he could feel through her back, sleep was nearly instant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing a single POV in third person is tough.  
> 


	5. Admission of Sorts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Words are spoken.

Morning came much earlier than Rob had anticipated. At 7:00am sharp, his phone began to chime its usual tune, dragging him and Cathy back to the realm of the living.

“Shut up.” He muttered without moving, and the phone was enveloped in complete silence.

“That’s cheating.”

Rob started, and slowly turned to look the feline in the eyes with a ‘so what’ look before dropping his head back to the mattress. She shifted, stretching behind him on her left side and draping her arm around his waist, nuzzling her head into the side of his neck with a low purr.

They lay like that, comfortable with the warmth and quiet, until Cathy licked his ear. “Cath… Why are you in my bed?”

He could almost hear her ears flattening as she sputtered, trying to come up with a plausible answer.

“I’m not mad. In fact, I’m quite enjoying this.” He twisted just enough to study her face, noting the hesitant worry and embarrassment.

“Oh… I just…” She swallowed and pressed her nose under his chin. “I thought I’d curl up and wait for you to get back before we started our lesson, and next thing I know, you’re here next to me.”

“In your skivvies, though?”

“Starch pressed uniform shirts and slacks are not comfortable to sleep in.”

He smirked, tilting his head into hers and chuckling quietly. “I guess I wouldn’t know, not having a set uniform.”

“Technically I don’t either, as a civilian contractor. But I do have a dress code to follow, where as you can wear just about whatever you feel like.” Her arm gave a gentle squeeze, and he slipped his right arm with hers, taking her paw in his hand.

“I’ve thought about running around naked and seeing who would try to stop me.”

“Oh gods, Jako would have a _fit_ if you did something like that.”

“I know. I’m still not sure what to think about her, and command’s, admission that I scare the hell out of them.” He shrugged, placing a kiss between her ears. “It’s… different to what I’m used to. Back home, my brethren and I were looked upon with reverence. Here? I suppose I’m just that far outside their comfort zone.”

Cathy smiled and kissed his throat, “You still scare me, but I know you won’t hurt me on purpose. And truth be told, it’s not exactly a fearful scare.” With her cheek pressed against his neck, and her ear against his jaw, he could feel the heat rising from her admission.

“Oh. Wait, what?” He pulled his head back to look at the sheepish cougar. “What exactly does that mean? Is this a phrase we haven’t gone over yet?”

Her blinking, stunned expression was priceless, but it quickly turned curious as she nuzzled into his shoulder. “It means… Um… A sexy kind of scary. Like... How old were you when you got, you know…?”

“The void exposure? I was nine. I was processed and put into a somatic pod by the time I was ten, and I’ve spent almost my entire life in that pod. Then it was the transference chair on the lander… My time here is the longest I’ve been without transference in any capacity.”

Her ears perked up, and there was a glint in her eye that made him nervous. “So… You’ve… Never had sex?”

“No. I’m, aware of what it involves, but I’ve never felt a compulsion to engage in that activity.” His tone was matter-of-fact, lacking any trace that his statement might be considered odd.

“I see.” She breathed, that look in her eye only getting stronger. “Do you… enjoy our time together?”

“Of course. If I didn’t, I’d have asked for a different instructor.”

“And you’re enjoying our laying together now?”

He nodded, not entirely sure where this line of questioning was going.

“Then…” Her face and ears turned dark red under her fur. “Would you be willing to satisfy a cat’s curiosity?”

His eyes narrowed as he studied her a moment, “We’re not going to get in trouble, are we?”

“Not intentionally…” Her toothy grin was oddly fetching as she pressed her nose to his cheek. “Besides, we could just call this part of our… culture lesson we missed last night.”

“I like learning.”

And learn he did. Oh boy, did he learn…

** **

The impromptu ‘lesson’ ended around nine, as the two headed off to their respective locker rooms for showers. Rob felt oddly invigorated as he adjusted the shower to very warm and stood under the stream, letting the heat soak into his sore muscles. Between the ‘lesson’ and his outing the night before, his body was still rebelling at his exertion, and he leaned into the wall with a tired sigh.

There had been more than just a physical aspect to what he’d learned, Cathy included common sense advice about when and where, and do/don’ts in regards to sexual advances. A surprising amount of it had been information he’d already learned at some point, but had no recollection as to when.

He spent a good half an hour in the shower, something the base personnel had dubbed a ‘Hollywood’ shower. Feeling clean and refreshed, he killed the water and headed to his locker, noting that the base XO was entering the room.

“Morning, Lieu.”

“Rob, can I talk to you a moment?” The wolf sounded concerned, ears and tail twitching as if something was going to happen any moment.

“Yeah, what’s up?” Rob pulled on a fresh pair of grey cargo pants and a red herringbone button up.

“Um… Did… Did you and Cathy have, ah, intimate relations earlier?”

“Yes, why? I’m aware of the regulations in regards to our activities, we didn’t break any rules. She’s a civilian contractor, and I’m, well, an alien.”

“You might want to refrain from such activities in your room in the future.”

“We were quiet… What’s this about? Did we not use enough scent blocker?”

Gerald took a deep breath, ears swiveling as he looked around the locker room. “Are we the only two in here?”

Rob concentrated a moment. “Yes, what’s wrong?”

“I didn’t tell you this, but, Commander Jako has been acting strange lately, and I’m worried she’s letting her fear of you get the better of her. She’s worried you and Cathy are up to something with all the time you two spend together.” He held up a paw to stop Rob’s response. “I’m not done. Because of her behavior, I’ve sent a formal complaint up the chain of command for an investigation. Tomorrow, you and Miss Graham will be sent to work with the ZBI to keep you two safe. For now, I’ve asked her to remain in your room unless you accompany her.”

“I… Thank you.” The man held out a hand, which the wolf shook tersely.

“Oh no, thank you. I know you only put up with our nonsense as an act of good faith, and I intend to demonstrate how much I appreciate that.” The wolf smiled, though Rob held up a hand to stop him from continuing.

“Someone’s coming, and I should get back to Cathy. When the dust settles, if you’re still around, I’ll to buy you a drink.” He returned to his room, and as his door opened, a despondent cougar sat in the middle of the bed, ears and tail limp.

“Hey you.”

She looked to him and smiled, though he could easily see the depression sneaking into her eyes. “Hey you.” Her voice was quiet, tired, and told more than her expression gave away.

“The Lieutenant said I should keep you company for a while, and I haven’t eaten yet. Feel like going for a walk?” He gave her his best reassuring smile as he stepped closer, holding out a hand for her to take.

Grasping his hand, she tugged him to stand before her, then wrapped both her arms around his waist and buried her face into his stomach. A deep, shuddered, breath of relief escaped her lips, followed by heavy sniffled gasps. “No. I want to sit here and remember how nice this morning was.”

“You aren’t hungry?”

“I’m starving, but I just don’t want to face the looks today.”

“Ah… The jealous throngs of females who don’t realize I can see their dumb faces.” He looped his arms around her shoulders and hugged her, “I’m starving after everything that’s happened since yesterday. How about you come with me to the mess hall, and make it a point to hang on my arm, hmm? Rub it in their faces before we disappear for however long?”

She laughed wetly, rubbing her cheek against him. “You know, I think I could eat. I have my big, strong, alien male to keep me safe.”

As she stood, Rob pulled her into a warm embrace, and they stood for a minute or two, simply enjoying the closeness. Then, he murmured in her ears, and guided them out of the room, ensuring the door was locked tight before they left. “Let’s go break some hearts.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What sound does one hundred breaking hearts make?  
> The sound of the Kleenex isle selling out.
> 
> No? Tough crowd, tough crowd.


	6. Two Days Too Few

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Escaping isn't ever this easy.

Rob woke in the darkness of his room, eyes moving to stare at his door. Something was wrong, and a quick tap of his phone showed 4:52am.

He carefully extricated himself from the sleeping form of Cathy, who like him, was still dressed from the day before. A low, confused purr reached his ears, and he turned to the bed, leaning down to kiss her cheek and whisper, “Shhh… Something’s not right, just stay here.”

She gave a brief nod, and curled into a ball as he moved to the door. Placing a hand on the door, he focused, and frowned as he realized what had woken him.

A group of eight soldiers were slowly moving down the hallway from the lobby, where Commander Jako could be sensed. Her unique mannerisms when nervous were hard to miss when he sent out the detection effect. The first two soldiers were almost to his door, and he spun around, grabbing the startled cougar’s shoulder. “Don’t move, don’t make a sound.”

She nodded, tensing as a thin smoky cloud emanated from his hand, engulfing both of them from head to toe and rendering them semi-transparent to each other. Just as the effect fully took hold, the door was kicked open, the two armed mammals blinking at an apparently empty room.

One of the two raised a paw from their weapon to talk on the radio. _“Commander, the room is empty.”_

_“What?!?”_

A moment later, Jako was standing behind them, staring right through Rob and Cathy, before storming off and calling into her radio, _“All on this frequency, we’ve lost containment on the subject.”_ Her next words were too faint to hear, and the soldiers took up position outside the door.

Ensuring his hands maintained contact with the feline, Rob leaned down, placing his mouth almost in her ear before whispering, “We need to go, carefully. They can’t see or smell us, but they can still hear and touch us.”

The process was slow, moving her off the bed without it noticeably shifting, but they managed. Slipping out of the door, they were greeted by a hallway filled with armed guards. Both frowned, and Rob guided them towards the emergency exit by the locker rooms.

As they reached the door, he leaned in close again, “We need to find the Lieutenant or Agent Whitepaw. Hey…” He could feel her trembling under his hands, and he gave a gentle squeeze. “Hey, I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

Cathy turned and buried herself into him, hugging tight, fighting to keep her tears silent. He wrapped his arms around her and rubbed his cheek to hers, and suddenly the pair was outside the barracks, a good distance from the building. The sudden transition had her hunched over and dry-retching, even as she clung to his waist, him holding her sides.

“I’m sorry, the vertigo will pass shortly, but I didn’t want to alert them by opening the door.”

She gasped between heaves, giving him a pitiful and eerie smile with their smoked-glass appearance. “I’ll live, thank you.” She straightened and hugged him tight once more, sniffling, “Gods… I’m sorry, I-”

He placed a hand over her mouth, “Stop, we’ll talk about this when you’re safe. You have done nothing to warrant an apology.” He then kissed her nose, stepping back with hands on her shoulders to keep them both in the shroud as he guided her further into the base.

** **

“She did _what?_ ”

“She came for us, LT. She had a squad of special ops in the hallway, had them kick in my door, fully armed and ready to detain us.”

“Good God…” The white wolf dropped into his armchair, looking to the ceiling as he tried to make sense of what he’d just been told. “I thought she was acting odd, but to come after you two with armed mammals is more than I can stand for at this point.”

The odd duo had marched through the base to find the XO’s house, and was currently seated on a couch in the mammal’s home office.

Cathy had calmed down considerably, having time to process just what had happened, lying down on the couch with her head in Rob’s lap. “But why? I still don’t understand what her goal is. Sure, she’s scared of you… But why go through the effort, and risk causing an incident?”

“I think she wanted to provoke a response. Make you lash out for harming a friend.”

The statement made all three frown, the man letting out a long sigh as something clicked in his mind.

“She wants me for herself.” At the confused looks from the two animals, he continued, “She’s jealous of you, Cathy. You’ve managed to ‘claim’ the one animal on the base that she isn’t in command of.”

“What does that have to do with…?”

Gerald spoke up, realization clear in his eyes. “It’s a hyena thing… Jako is female, and driven to be the dominant mammal on the base. But she can’t be dominant to you two, because you’re not military, and there’s the little problem of Rob’s… unconventional… relationship with reality.”

“Ooooh…” Cathy’s ears turned a shade pink, and she sat up to lean against Rob’s side. “And I came along and ‘stole’ her prize male out from under her nose without even meaning to.”

The man laughed, resting his head against the cat’s, “Seems those culture lessons are starting to pay off, aren’t they. I’m under the impression she’s read the reports from my recent outing, and it made her conflict of interests boil over.”

“Alright, I need to make a call.” The wolf leaned his arms on the desk and rested his face in his hands, “You two are welcome to stay in the living room until I’m done.”

They both nodded, and stepped out of the office, Rob closing the door behind them. Taking a seat on a black loveseat, he drew Cathy into his lap, resting his chin between her ears. She let out a contented rumble, paws resting on his chest.

“This seems a bit much for her just being jealous.” She shook her head against his neck, an annoyed growl in her throat.

“I’m under the impression that she’s been planning something like this for a while. I mean, it would be prudent to have a response team ready to go, should a visitor prove dangerous.” He kissed the top of her nose, “But I’ve talked to her about this a dozen times now.” He just shook his head and pressed a cheek against Cathy’s forehead.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked you to-” A finger to her lips stopped her, and he gave her an understanding smile.

“Cathy, I know what you’re going to say, what’s swirling around in that pretty little head of yours.” He smirked, “If she had chosen to do something to you a week ago, the results would have been the same if she hurt you today. You’re one of my few friends on this planet, and by far my closest, even before yesterday.”

Her ears and cheeks burned against his skin. “Thank you.”

“You’re most welcome.”

The door to the office opened, and a very tired wolf stepped out. “Well, I’ve done all I can. Commander Jako is officially being investigated for her erratic behavior. The team will arrive around nine.”

“What do we do in the mean time?” Cathy shivered slightly, “We can’t just go back to the barracks, can we?”

“You two are free to do as you wish, though I would recommend speaking with Whitepaw about the deal with the ZBI. He and I have discussed letting you loose on the landmass in general to see what you could get up to, but you could always offer your skills somewhere specific.”

Rob arched a brow, “What do you mean by specific?”

“Well, right now, the first place to come to mind is Zootopia. Over the past year, they’ve had a number of smaller incidents similar to the one you intervened in, with regrettable loss of life. The city-state itself is peaceful, but various groups are always trying to undermine the message of unity and co-existence.”

“I think I could help with that. What would Cathy be, in that case? My translator?”

“How about friend?” The cougar grinned before taking a more serious tone. “Honestly, I’d like to get back to my old job, even if for a different city.”

“And that was?” Gerald asked.

“Translator and language instructor for the Northern Providences. My linguistic skills are why I was approached to teach Robert the finer points of our common language. That and they told me it would be for an alien… which I almost didn’t believe until I realized the suits were all ZBI.”

“Huh… Smart _and_ beautiful. You’ll have your hands full, Mister Mitchell.” The wolf flashed a toothy grin and a wink, to which Cathy pressed her face into Rob’s shoulder with a pained groan.

“Cath, you blush any harder, and I’m going to have your face burned into my skin.”

“Shuddup.” She muttered, though he could feel the smile forming.

Rob chuckled, rubbing her shoulder. “Thanks for your help, Gerald. It means a lot that you’re sticking your neck out for Cathy.”

“Like I said yesterday, I fully intend to show my appreciation for putting up with our nonsense. If that means pointing out that my Commanding Officer is behaving based on personal biases, then Gods be damned, I’ll do it.”

Rob’s morning alarm went off, startling all three of them. Cathy reflexively clutched at him, digging her claws into his skin just enough to hurt, but not cause harm. “Ack, claws, Cath!” He gasped as he silenced his phone. “Has it really only been two hours?”

“Two hours?”

“The… I woke up just before five, and they kicked in my door not long after that. Thank god they don’t know all my tricks yet.” Rob aimed a cocky grin at the wolf, “And I intend on keeping it that way.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. I can call Whitepaw if you want, have him either pick you up or meet at the office a little earlier than normal?”

Man and feline shared a look, then both shrugged, Cathy speaking up. “We’ll meet him at the office… Hopefully the chaos will die down by the time everything is arranged with the ZBI.”

“Very well, then. I need to get ready, because I’m the one who has to reign in that chaos. I know Rob will keep you safe out there.”

Cathy met Rob’s gaze, a look full of concern and determination. “Oh, of that I have no doubt.”

The odd couple stood and shook the wolf’s paw, then quietly left the house for the ZBI offices. This time, as Rob drew them into the smoky black shroud, it was so they could walk paw-in-hand in peace.

** **

Half an hour later, the duo was sitting on a bench outside the base ZBI offices and simply enjoying pleasant company as Agent Whitepaw stomped up, cursing a certain spotted hyena.

“Adrian.” Rob called out, having to hold in a laugh as the snow leopard jumped and spun around, fur and tail puffed out to ridiculous levels. “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.”

“Gods, Robert, don’t do that to me! Get inside, now, we need to talk about this shit storm Jako has kicked off.” Unlocking the door, he led the pair into his office and made sure the blinds were closed. “Have a seat. Gerald called me while I was on my way, and let me know the situation. Or, I should say, how the situation is _now_ as compared to yesterday.”

Rob sat in the right chair, Cathy in the left, both frowning but quiet.

“Yeah, I don’t blame you two.” Whitepaw sighed and rubbed his face. “I had hoped to give you a proper break, Rob. Not the insanity the last two days have been. You did a great job in Zootopia, and now the CO of this base has gone absolutely out of her _mind_.”

“Yeah, we’ve been keeping out of sight. After the armed wakeup call this morning, I’m not taking chances on an itchy trigger finger.” Rob shrugged, “Even with my reflexes, an unexpected shot is hard to react to.”

“Not sure why you’re worried about a bullet.” The leopard started, but was silenced when Rob hooked a thumb at Cathy.

“I’m not worried about getting shot. I’m worried about _her_ getting shot. I have my limits, and I don’t like to push them if I can avoid it. Clearing that building was simple, but you saw what happened to me.”

Adrian nodded, “Right, right. And I didn’t include that aftereffect in my report, per your request. Now, enough talk of that, let’s get you two settled. Cathy, you told the XO you were looking for a language related job, and that you, Rob, might be interested in working in Zootopia?”

Both nodded.

“I’ll get right on it, then.” The leopard grabbed his office phone, a paw hovering over the number pad. “Have you two eaten?”

Cathy nodded, “The Lieutenant let us eat when we first arrived at his house.”

“That would explain the lack of a nose bleed.”

“Nose bleed?” She turned to look at Rob.

“Ah… I’ll have to explain that later, when we aren’t hiding in the middle of the hornet’s nest.” He gave a reassuring smile, taking her paw and giving a gentle squeeze. “Speaking of, I think I should have words with our dear Commander.”

The cougar’s grip tightened in his hand. “But…”

“I’ll be fine, I promise. Stay here with Adrian, I’ll be back as soon as I can, alright?”

She nodded and pressed her cheek to his. “Good luck.”

Rob smiled, and then he was gone.

** **

The Commander’s office was surprisingly small, and the dark wood paneling, shelves, and desk offset with forest green trim made it almost feel cozy. He had planned on waiting in the room, but upon arrival, he found a disheveled hyena leaning her elbows on her desk with her face in her hands. She was taking slow, deliberate breaths, and cursing a certain white wolf.

“We need to talk.”

Jako froze, her breath catching at his voice, before slowly lifting her head up to look to him with absolute terror in her eyes. There was a hint of something else, but he couldn’t interpret it as she spoke, her voice barely audible, “Oh Gods, please don’t hate me.”

Rob leaned against the door to her office and crossed his arms. “I’m not mad at you, Basil.” The use of her first name seemed to strike her like a stone, and she collapsed on the desk with a defeated sigh. “Disappointed, yes, but not mad.”

She didn’t respond, instead simply trembling and sniffling into the lacquered wood. A sympathetic smile tugged at the edges of his mouth, and he sat in the one chair before her desk, reaching out a hand to nudge her shoulder. The result was instant, and not quiet anticipated; she suddenly sat bolt upright, then stood and backed away from him with a confused whine.

“Easy now, I’m not going to hurt you.” As he stood, she backed further away from him, cornering herself against the wall and a bookshelf. Her eyes had gone glassy, ears plastered to her skull, and her tail limp between her legs. “Commander?”

“No…” It took him a moment to realize she’d even uttered a word, and she began to slide down the wall, hugging her knees to her chest and her tail curling around her hind paws. “It wasn’t supposed to go like this.”

“What?” He slowly moved around and knelt just out of arms reach, noting how she only seemed to get smaller as he neared. “How was this supposed to go?”

She pressed her forehead into her knees and let out a stuttered breath, “I don’t know. I had all these ideas, ways to entice you into letting me get into your head so I could…” She tilted her head back, thumping it against the bookshelf.

“Control me?” Her flinch told him all he needed to know, and he let the words hang for a minute.

“Basil.” She sucked in a breath at her name again, “I’m flattered, but, you shouldn’t have let this get in the way of your responsibilities.”

“I know. I’m sorry.” A low growl and she pressed her palms to her eyes. “God, I feel like a stupid cub again. I thought my fear was under control, but getting the report about your trip to the city… I don’t know… You cleared an eight story building in less than a minute. Almost eighty mammals dead or unconscious and you didn’t break a sweat.”

He reached out and placed a hand on her knee, her eyes wide as she stared at it. “Commander, your base isn’t home to a group of terrorists hell-bent on killing everyone to get their way. So you have nothing to worry about from me.” Rob sighed and dropped his arm to his side. “That said, I don’t know what I’d do if Cathy had gotten hurt this morning. But she didn’t, so don’t stress over it, alright?”

The room fell silent for several minutes before Rob stood and offered the hyena a hand. She hesitated before accepting and pulled herself up, smoothing her uniform with her free paw. She looked markedly better after the short conversation, and even had the hint of a smile on her face.

“Now that we’ve sorted that out, I need to get back and finalize everything for working with the ZBI.” She wavered under a brief, studious look. “Better?”

“Better.” She nodded, fixing him with a sheepish look. “Um… Thank you. For, you know, not countering my loss of control with one of your own.”

“Everyone has a limit, everyone makes mistakes. What matters is what you learn from them.” Rob smiled, “And it looks like you’ll be up to your ears in learning.”

“Oh, don’t make jokes about this, please.” Jako meandered to her chair and dropped into it with a heavy sigh. “Go on, then, get back to your cat. I’m sure I’ll hear about you two in the intelligence reports.”

“Actually, I would hope you’d hear about me on the news.”

She face-pawed hard, growling into her palms. “Get out!”

And he was gone.

** **

The pair sat quietly on a hotel bed. Cathy faced the windows, leaning her paws on her knees as Rob sat behind her, cross-legged and working his fingers into her back in slow circles. A deep, contented rumble filled the air as her muscles relaxed under his attentions.

“Gods, you’re so good at this.” Her words were half-moan, half-sigh. “You’re going to spoil me for massages…”

He smiled and leaned in, nipping her shoulder and eliciting a heated groan. “You don’t need to stroke my ego anymore. You’ve already done enough of that today.”

“Oh har-de-har. I’m serious, I’ve had massages from apes before, and they weren’t nearly as good as yours.” She shifted her position, laying on her stomach and staring out the window with unseeing eyes.

Pressing the heel of his palms into her lower back, he was rewarded with a grunt and the sudden limpness of her body. “I would assume it’s due to my experience. I don’t think the average masseuse has hand-to-hand combat training, or ever had to reload a weapon in the middle of a shootout.” He shrugged and worked his hands up her back.

“Nnnngh…” Is her only reply, her tail coiling loosely around his waist.

“Silly cat.” Moving up to her neck, he began to lightly rub and squeeze the muscles along her shoulders and up to her ears. This pulled a long and shuddered breath from the cougar, ending with a pitiful and needy mewl.

“Are you sure you aren’t trying to make me stay?” She was like putty in his hands at this point.

“Stay the night? Maybe. Stay with me forever, despite what we talked about earlier? Nah. You were clear about your intentions even that first time back at the base.” He leaned in and kissed between her ears. “I do expect you to call me when you need someone to talk to, or even just to relax for a night.”

“I think I can do that. And as for tonight… Yeah, just this once.” She turned her head around to give him a wary look, “But don’t try and turn it into ‘just this once’ for tomorrow, too.”

He laughed and slid so he was lying along her body, an arm across her back, and his free hand tilting her mouth in to a long, passionate kiss. “As you wish.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey look, I wrote a thing.


	7. Meeting the Fuzz

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More introductions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter almost got away from me, but I think I managed to wrangle it in.

Rob paused as he entered the cool air of ZPD’s Precinct One, eyes scanning the lobby until he settled on a portly cheetah behind the reception desk. Said feline was chatting away incessantly with a pair of wolves and an elephant as he moved closer.

“-can’t believe I got to dance on stage with Gazelle!!” The cheetah squealed, a pitch so high that every animal in the lobby cringed. “Oh, this made my whole year, Chief was so jealous, too! You should have seen his face!” The boastful tirade stopped as the cat’s eyes fell on Rob, the bountiful energy suddenly gone.

Every other animal picked up on this, and suddenly it was all eyes on the man as he stepped up to the round desk. He smirked, slowly shaking his head. “Y’all act like you’ve never seen an ape before. I just bought breakfast from a chimp. Go on now, nothing to see here.” He waved a hand dismissively, focusing on the cheetah, “I’m supposed to meet in the ‘bullpen’ this morning, where might I find it?”

Slowly the cat regained his composure, pointing down the hallway straight behind the desk from the main doors. “That way, third door on the right.”

“Thank you.” Rob gave what he hoped was a friendly smile, turning to march for the indicated room.

He barely caught the cat whispering, “I’ve never seen an ape like that before.”

The ‘bullpen’ was about what he’d expected, a room with rows of tables and chairs for easy briefing and note taking. Standing to the right of the door as he entered, he leaned against the wall, arms crossed. There were a number of animals already present; a tiger he couldn’t quite tell was male or female, a hippo currently napping with his arms crossed on the table, and a polar bear and a rhino who were sitting at the same table idly chatting away.

The tiger turned as the door opened, doing a double take at Rob, brows looking like they might fly free of the feline’s face. A choked gasp drew the attention of the bear and rhino, who openly stared at the man. Rob rolled his eyes and groaned in frustration, “Goddamnit, why does everyone keep looking at me like that?”

This seemed to galvanize the gawkers, who cleared their throats and pointedly looked anywhere _but_ at him.

“I’m just an ape, like that guy Charlie at the Snarlbucks down the street. Stop making this so awkward.”

The bear chuckled and shook his head, “I think it’s more that you’re in our bullpen in something other than ZPD blue, or any other uniform I recognize, than it is about you looking odd.”

“I’m not ZPD, or any other uniform you’d recognize. Adrian told me to meet him here for the morning briefing.” Rob shrugged, “I’m supposed to be a civilian operative, or something like that, for you guys.”

“Adrian? Whitepaw? The snow leopard?”  The rhino sounded both annoyed and hopeful.

“Yep, the one and only.”

“Ah hell…” The bear face-pawed, pulling his fingers down his cheek. “You’re that ‘special recruit’ I’ve been hearing rumors about.”

“Special recruit?” The tiger finally spoke up, answering the odd question floating in Rob’s mind. The tiger was male. “What do you mean, Grizz?”

“He means, wait for Bogo to explain in the briefing.” The rhino grunted, though gave a polite nod to the man, “Officer McHorn, at your service. This here is Grizzoli, and stripes there is Fangmeyer. And sleeping beauty-”He nodded to the hippo, “-is Officer Higgins.”

“A pleasure to make your acquaintance.” Rob nodded to each as they were named (except Higgins), then smirked, “I’m bad with names, so I apologize in advance if I forget. Never forget faces, though.”

The sound of heavy footfalls preceded the sudden opening of the door as more officers piled in. These, aside from the occasional glance in his direction, didn’t seem to react to his presence, and he was just as inclined to ignore them at the moment, the room filling with the low murmur of conversations.

Then a rabbit stepped through the door, followed by a fox, both seemed oddly familiar. They must have felt his studious gaze, as the pair stopped and turned to look at him in perfect sync. “Ah, sorry...” He muttered, “I just feel like we’ve met before, and I can’t place it.”

“Oh, you’ve probably just seen our faces all over the news.” The fox said, giving a noncommittal shrug.

“No, well, maybe? I mean, I’ve only been in the city a few days at this point, so I might have seen you somewhere when I was out and about. But it feels like I’ve seen you in person before.”

“Huh, I’m sure we’d remember meeting you at some point.” The bunny scratched her chin, “You’re pretty unique.”

All three of them shrugged at the same time, it was weird. Then the bunny tugged on the fox’s tie, moving for the front of the room. “Maybe we can figure it out after roll call.” The two small mammals hopped into the same chair at the front of the room just as the side entrance opened up to reveal a _very_ tall cape buffalo in ZPD blues (with ‘Bogo’ clearly on his chest), and a snow leopard wearing an over-pressed black suit.

“Alright, sit down, shut up. The list is short today.” The buffalo stopped behind the podium and dropped a bunch of files on it. “First up, our guests,” A beefy, hooved arm swung to indicate Whitepaw, who had taken a spot next to Robert. “We have with us, Agent Whitepaw of the ZBI, and our most recent… recruit…”The word was spoken oddly, and all the officers turned to stare at Rob. “Mister Mitchell, who joins us from very far away… And whose capabilities have been stressed repeatedly over the past hour by Agent Whitepaw.”

The Chief shrugged, “I don’t care. We’ll see how you do.” This garnered a number of low chuckles and an indifferent twitch of the man’s shoulders. He then went on to pass out case and patrol assignments, and as each name was listed, the mammals would stand and depart, some taking the files that had been carried in.

Eventually, the room was left with four mammals in it; Bogo, Whitepaw, Rob, and the fox. “Wilde, I want you to show Mitchell around the precinct, introduce him and get him checked into the system, maybe go a few rounds in the firing range. Meet me in my office when you are done, I need to continue my discussion with Whitepaw about just what is happening here.”

Wilde scoffed, “Aww, why do I get stuck with the rookie? Fine, c’mon greenie.”

“I’d prefer pinkie, to be honest.” Rob snickered, but turned to follow the smaller mammal.

“Nah, ‘pinkie’ is reserved for Porkins.” Wilde tilted his head back, “You said you thought we’d met before, but I’m good with faces and names, and like Carrots said, I’d remember you.”

The two headed out to the lobby, turning for the administrative office. “I’m good with faces, names not so much. The memory is a little fuzzy, like we passed each other in a hurry or something, but close enough your fur patterns really stood out.”

“Huh… I don’t know then.”

Getting him in the system was quick and surprisingly painless, and the two were on their way to the armory and firing range.

“There were three of you.” Rob stated as they stepped into the elevator, and Wilde hit ‘B2’.

“Three of us?”

“Yeah… A fox, a rabbit, and…” He suddenly straightened as the memory surfaced, him passing over three mammals (poorly) tied to chairs. “Oh. Now that I remember, I’m not sure I’m allowed to say anything more.”

“Or what, you’ll have to kill me?”

“Um, something like that. I’ll have to talk to Adrian about that, I don’t know what details I’m allowed to share.” Rob gave the fox an apologetic smile, “Sorry. Wouldn’t wanna get you in trouble for my motor mouth.”

“Bah, you’re no fun.”

The elevator doors opened to reveal the subbasement, where the armory and firing range were located. A short exchange with the armory guard, and Rob was issued a 9mm pistol and three fifteen round clips, and hearing protection that actually fit his ears.

“Okay, rookie.”

“I think you’ll find I’m not a rookie. A cookie, maybe, or a tart. But not a rookie.”

“Wow. I don’t know if I should laugh or stab you in the kidney.”

“I don’t have kidneys.” Rob set the pistol and magazines on the table at lane three. It was just the two of them there at the early hour.

“Then how do you piss?”

“I don’t.”

This seemed to mortify the fox, who stood wide-eyed and limp-tailed as Rob hung a target and sent it out to forty meters.

“You still alive there, Wilde?”

“Do you shit?”

“Not really, no.”

Silence followed this, and Rob looked over his shoulder to make sure Wilde hadn’t passed out.

“So let me get this straight, you don’t piss, you don’t shit… What are you, some sort of robot? Cyborg? Alien?”

“Well, despite my government’s attempts, I’m not a cyborg. I don’t even have the usual implants to help with my affliction.” This was something he could openly talk about, because he knew no one would believe him.

“Let’s just… continue this another time. I want to see your spread.”

“Alright…”

Rob pulled on his hearing protection and waited for Wilde to do the same, then took a ready stance at the table. Lifting the pistol, he slid home the first clip and chambered a round. Taking aim, he thumbed the safety and breathed out.

Time slowed, and he carefully lined up the sights and squeezed the trigger. Fifteen holes in a straight line rose up the center of the target. When the slide locked, he hit the magazine release and loaded the second clip. A second line of dots descended to the right of the first, and the third clip followed in a mirror of the second.

Dropping the last magazine, he checked the weapon clear and set it on the table, hitting the target recall button and turning to look at Wilde with a grin… which quickly turned into a concerned frown.

“Uh, Wilde, you alright there?”

The fox simply fell to his knees, arms limp at his sides, and eyes locked on the approaching target. And the three rows of holes, perfectly aligned.

“You… You did that at forty meters? You really are an alien robot mutant cyborg…”

Rob just shrugged, gathering the target and the weapon and clips, “Let’s get back to your Chief and Whitepaw.”

Wilde nodded, and followed after the ‘rookie’ with his tail dragging the whole way. After the pistol and spend clips were returned, they stood silently in the elevator on their way to the second floor.

And they walked in near silence to Bogo’s door, where Rob knocked.

“Enter.”

Stepping inside revealed Bogo leaning on his desk and Whitepaw reclined in a chair off to the side of the room. Rob took a chair in front of the desk, though noted Bogo’s gaze was following the fox as he shuffled, zombie-like, to climb into the other chair.

“Mitchell… What did you do to Officer Wilde?”

“Nothing, he asked me a question and I answered it. I also demonstrated my proficiency with pistols.” Another shrug and he was wondering if he should start counting as he continued, “I guess I just made that much of an impression.”

“Wilde?” The buffalo almost sounded concerned.

“He’s all set boss. Got him in the system and all that. Oh… I forgot to introduce him around the building. Oops.” His words were deadpan, not even a hint of his usual snark.

Bogo frowned and glared death at Rob, who managed to suppress a smile… mostly.  
“What… Did… You… Do…”

“I honestly don’t know.”

Somehow, the frown got worse as the Chief leaned back in his chair and swept an arm at the fox. “Look at him, he’s almost catatonic! He looks almost as bad as when I chewed him out for necking with his wife in the records room! What did you DO?” He slammed a hoof on the desk.

Wilde snapped out of his stupor at the slam, “No, he didn’t do anything, just… trying to wrap my head around something he said.”

“You do know I was joking about the pissing thing, right?”

“So you’re not really an alien mutant robot?”

“That depends on how much spots over there lets me say.”

At this point, Whitepaw couldn’t keep his laughter in check, and he wiped at his eyes as he chortled. “Oh Gods, Robert, you can tell them whatever you want. It’s your secret to keep, not mine or the ZBI’s.”

“What? What secret does he mean, Mitchell?” Again the death-glare homed in on the man.

“I’m surprised Adrian didn’t tell you already.” Rob narrowed his eyes at the leopard. “Specifically the part where I’m not from… around here… and that I have extensive combat training that could prove useful in dangerous situations.” He paused, “Situations like town hall, for example.”

The room fell deadly silent before Rob turned to the fox and added, “Which I remembered earlier, is where I’d seen you and the bunny before. We didn’t exactly _meet_ each other, but I did cut your bonds.”

“And kill or seriously injure almost eighty mammals.” Bogo growled, placing his hands on the desk, fingers splayed as if he were about to stand up.

“I didn’t say I was proud of it, just that it’s an example of my abilities. Mind you, I was working on limited information and on a bit of a time crunch. I wasn’t concerned about the morality of killing; I was concerned about clearing the building without harming the hostages.”

“A time crunch? You had half an hour before the deadline.”

“And our ride had ten minutes of fuel left. We flew non-stop from the base in the Northern lands and simply swooped into the city long enough for me to get on site. We had to refuel almost as soon as we left the city proper.”

“But… there weren’t any aircraft that neared the building.” Bogo’s eyes narrowed.

“Not officially.” Whitepaw growled, sitting up and fixing a serious look on Rob.

“Yes, yes, you are officially correct, Adrian.” The man sighed, shaking his head. “Back to my point, though. I’m not here to kill, I’m here to help, but I _will not_ hesitate to use lethal force if I feel it is necessary. You may find that distressing, Bogo, but I’m not a cop, I’m a soldier.”

“I understand that.” The buffalo hung his head, shaking it slowly. “But if you are going to work with us, I want suspects brought back in cuffs, not body bags. Do you think you can do that?”

“Yes.” The instant response seemed to surprise the Chief, who took a moment to respond.

“Very well, that is all I really ask of you. I may ask you to clarify your ‘home’ situation at some point, but for now, you are free to go. Wilde, take him around to the various departments and make introductions. Dismissed.”

“Yes, Sir.” The fox slipped out of the chair and paused at the door for Rob to join him, and the two exited. “So you really are some sort of alien mutant cyborg.” He asked as soon as the door closed behind them.

“Alien, yes. Mutant, technically. Cyborg/robot, no.” Yet another shrug with his response, “I’m not exactly normal among my own species back home, but that’s a long story I don’t feel like telling today.”

“Ah. Might have to ask you about that over drinks sometime.” With a wave, Wilde headed for the second floor offices, “First stop will be investigations on the third floor…”

** **

And their last stop was the fox’s own office, well cubicle, where they found the rabbit from earlier sitting in an overly large chair and tapping away at her keyboard.

“Officer Hopps.”

“Officer Wilde, it’s about ti- Oh, hi!” The bunny turned, sounding like she was about to yell at Wilde until she registered the _much_ taller form of the man. “So, what did Chief want?”

“He wanted me to show the new guy around, get him in the system, and whatnot. Anyways, Hopps meet Mitchell. Mitchell, Hopps.” A red paw waved lazily between the two named mammals.

“A pleasure.” Rob nodded, glancing between the smaller mammals.

“Nice to meet you, too. Again.” Hopps smiled and turned back to her keyboard. “I’d love to chat, but Ni- Officer Wilde and I have a pile of reports to get through.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me, Carrots.” The fox groaned, rolling his eyes and hopping up on the chair next to Hopps.

“You two take care.” The man smiled and headed back for the elevators, wondering if Adrian had finished talking with Bogo.

** **

That evening, Rob puttered around an icy dockyard in a black sedan. The rows of old warehouses passed by, each no more remarkable than the last, until he came to a stop at the southern roll-up doors of Building 83. As he emerged into the frigid air of Tundratown, he shivered slightly, walking up to the service entrance and waved a card over a sensor hidden in the wall.

The magnetic latch releasing was almost silent, and he quickly stepped inside. The moment the door closed behind him, he hit the light switch on the wall, bringing the aging halogen fixtures to life.

The growing illumination revealed the contents of the warehouse floor, pallets and pallets of what might appear to be a random assortment of items.

Randomly sized gears here, bundles of copper and aluminum cable there… and the sight made him smile as he moved further into the quiet space.

“Well, at least the heat works.” He mumbled, turning into a side area of the building to find a workbench with neatly arranged tools on a peg-board behind it, a welding bench, and a desk with a sheet of paper on it.

“What have we hear…” His eyes danced over the paper:

            _R, here is a list of the materials I was able to get you. Try not to draw any attention while you’re working, as I won’t be able to help you if any of your toys get into the wrong hands. I look forward to seeing what you can pull out of your ass._

_CG_

The short letter was followed by a long (very, very long) invoice, listing everything that was out in the main areas of the warehouse.

“Aww, you really do care, Kitten.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's that? I can't hear you over the sound of foreshadowing.

**Author's Note:**

> If you can believe it, I failed three years of high school English.


End file.
